


A Dragon's Curse

by ViceRoy21



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2019-12-18 13:05:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18250427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViceRoy21/pseuds/ViceRoy21
Summary: What do you get when you have three people who can't seem to keep their noses out of a strangers business? You get a very stressed wizard trying to keep said nosy people alive. Virgil really should have just walked away.





	1. first encounters

Three men on top of horses galloped their way through a spares forest. The man ahead of the other two was a tall broad man, short auburn hair and golden hazel eyes. His friends behind him both wore glasses, one with short dirty blond hair, the other with short dark brown hair. The blonde’s eyes were also hazel but his was more green than gold brown. The brunette simply had brown eyes to match his hair. The blond was smaller than his companions, with a soft build and child like features. The brunette was not as tall as his auburn haired friend but taller than the blond. He was stick thin like a willow switch.

  
Roman rode ahead of his two companions, the warm sun filtering through the trees and the light breeze bringing with it the calming scents of spring. “Roman wait for us!” Patton called as he and Logan chased after their friend.

  
“You will have to catch me first, you are as slow as turtles!” Roman called back with a bark of laughter as he spurred his horse to gain speed, jumping over fallen logs that laid in their path.

  
“Roman you will end up separated from us, it is wiser to remain together” Logan called after their overly spirited member with a sigh of exasperation which only received another laugh as an answer.

  
Roman’s eyes closed for a moment as he soaked in the day, trusting his horse to stay true and to not run them into any trees.

  
Suddenly his horse came to a screeching halt that almost caused Roman to go flying over the creatures head. It balked and reared back, it’s front legs pawing at the air as it danced back. “Easy now my fine steed easy!” Roman called as he tried to wrangle his horse back under control. This gave his friends time to catch up to him. Roman managed to get the creature to calm and he slid from it’s back, brushing it’s long neck to keep it so as he moved to see what had spooked the beast.

  
“Roman are you okay?” Patton asked worriedly as he and Logan came up beside their friend.

  
Roman smiled up at Patton then returned to his search “I am just fine Padre, something merely unsettled my horse… and I believe I have found what has done so”.

  
Laying not to far away from Roman was a person, most of their body obscured by a long black cloak. Roman approached warily, his sword drawn in case this happened to be a trap. “Excuse me, are you alright?” He called to them but received no answer.

  
“Careful Roman” Logan warned. The man simply waved him off as he moved closer to the person. He knelt beside them and removed the hood, revealing a pale gaunt face and dirty shaggy black hair. Once he made sure they were still breathing he moved to roll them over to see if they were injured elsewhere.

  
As soon as his hand touched their shoulder the person jerked away and scuttled back from Roman. The bigger man backed up, putting his sword away and his hands raised in a calm manner to show he meant no harm “easy, I only mean to help; we found you unconscious, had my horse not stopped in time I fear you would not be breathing now”. The man before them looked the three of them over warily, his breathing coming in shallow pants. They could see dark bruising below his eyes which held a stunning shade of violet in the iris, exhaustion was written over every inch of this strangers tall posture.

  
When no one made a move to do anything to him the stranger slowly pushed himself to is feet and lifted his hood back up to shadow his face “Sorry for being in your way…”.

  
He turned to leave but before he could Roman reached out and caught his hand “Wait a moment!”.

  
The stranger flinched back from the grip and eyed the man before him warily, gripping his cloak tighter around him. “Ah forgive my sudden actions, it is just that you seem very weary and perhaps unwell” Roman supplied as he once again raised his hands in a calming manner “I though perhaps I could offer you lodging and a meal as compensation for nearly running you over”.

  
“Roman, I don’t think it wise to be offering such things to a complete stranger we know nothing about” Logan snapped with a frown down at the impulsive man. Roman paid him no mind, his eyes remaining on the stranger who still stood before him; those eyes that seemed to glow with a deep inner power stared hard at the man who would allow someone into his home before knowing anything about them.

  
“Well I think it is a fantastic idea!” Patton exclaimed excitedly at the prospect of making a new friend and helping out someone in need.  
“Um that’s not necessary” the cloaked man murmured as he hunched in on himself “You don’t owe me anything and it would just be an inconvenience on you, but thanks anyways…”.

  
“It will be no trouble at all, I insist you join us; I would continue to feel terrible otherwise” Roman said, waving away the strangers words as if shooing away a pesky insect. Logan grunted in annoyance as his words went unheeded, his eyes studying the stranger that looked like he was about to bolt at any second; he was such a fidgety and suspicious looking character.

  
“We were on our way back so it will be no trouble at all” Patton told him “I’m Patton, this sulky guy is Logan, and our eager friend here is Roman; what’s your name kiddo?”.

  
He was quiet for a long moment as he continued to watch these three, why couldn’t they take their friends advice and just leave him here?  
“Virgil” He finally muttered as he looked away from them, if they had had plans to do something to him they would have done so by now “Look your offer is nice and all but-“.

  
“Great!” Roman interrupted, climbing back onto his horse and riding up to his new dark friend, holding his hand out to him “There will be a magnificent feast tonight! Right Patton?”.

  
“You’re dang right Roman” Patton said happily.

  
Logan grunted in annoyance and rode on, there was no use in him sticking around if no one was willing to listen to him.

  
Virgil stared at the hand for a few moments then returned his eyes up to Roman “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”.

  
Roman simply smiled his charming smile and continued to keep his hand stretched toward the cloaked man. Virgil sighed in resignation, taking the hand and allowing himself to be pulled up onto the horse’s back. In order to not fall off he held onto the man in front of him, a small embarrassed flush coloring his pale cheeks. Once Virgil was settled, Roman and Patton rode off to catch up to Logan.

  
“So, why were you passed out in the middle of the woods Virgil?” Patton asked, a hint of worry to his words as he looked at the man; he really did look unwell.

  
Virgil shrugged uncomfortably and ducked deeper into his cloak “Not much to tell really”.

  
Roman and Patton looked at each other with curious looks, Patton's eyes flicking back to look at Virgil worriedly.

  
“Come now, one does not simply fall unconscious in the woods for no reason” Roman prodded with an amused tone “are you perhaps ill? Or have you simply not slept in a long time? You look as if you could sleep a fortnight away”.

  
“Something like that” Virgil said vaguely “I don’t sleep well...”.

  
“Well then it is good that we have found you for you will be staying the night in one of the grandest beds in all the land!” Roman exclaimed grandly, posing slightly to make his point.

  
Virgil stared at the back of Roman’s head for a long moment before turning his eyes to look at Patton “Is he always this…. Extra?”.

  
This caused Patton to laugh loudly as Roman’s pose deflated. The auburn haired man descended into a rant about how he was NOT extra, how he gave things just the right amount of dramatic flare. This caused Virgil to give a slight hidden smile and for Patton to laugh harder at his friends antics.


	2. Impossible knights

The return trip home was spent with Roman and Patton chattering about nonsense between them. Virgil ended up dozing off, his cheek resting against Roman’s shoulder. It felt like no time at all that he was startled awake by a hand on his shoulder for the second time. He nearly fell off the horse if it hadn’t been for the hand holding onto him. He blinked groggily at his surroundings and soon his grogginess was replaced with surprise.

“Are you alright Virgil?” Patton asked as he gave him a small nudge.

“You live in the castle?!” Virgil exclaimed, ignoring Patton’s question as he stared up at the home of the royal family.

“Of course, I am the captain of the royal guard!” Roman proclaimed, withdrawing his sword grandly.

“I’m the head cook” Patton told him with a smile then pointed to Logan “he’s the king’s adviser”.

Virgil blinked owlishly at them then back up at the castle “You didn’t think to tell me this before hand?”.

“To be honest it didn’t really cross our minds kiddo” Patton said as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Enough chatter, let us announce our return to the king!” Roman exclaimed as he hopped off his horse and held out his hand to help Virgil down. The thin man accepted the help down and after leaving the horses with the stable hands the three men took Virgil into the castle to meet who he assumed, much to his unease, would be the king.

It was a grand looking castle but at the same time it had an open and homely feeling to it, as if anyone and everyone were welcome into the castle. Virgil followed behind his “rescuers” as they led him through the halls. It didn’t take long for them to reach the throne room.

There on the throne sat the king. A young man around their age with light brown hair and eyes. There was a boyish charm to his features that spoke of kindness and warmth, an air about him seemed to inspire trust and loyalty. Astonishingly Virgil felt as if he could finally be at ease, like he could be safe here; he didn’t even know these people and that’s not even what frightened him the most.

“Welcome back guys, I’m surprised you’re already back so early” Thomas said as his three men entered the room, not noticing at first the figure who trailed behind Roman.

“Well we sort of came across something while we were out” Patton said with a shrug and a smile as he glanced back at Virgil.

“Indeed, had it not been for my quick reflexes, this young fellow would have permanently become one with the ground” Roman proclaimed as he posed majestically, stepping aside so Virgil was visible.

Logan huffed and adjusted his glasses “Actually it was the reflexes of your horse that saved this man from his unfortunate fate”. This caused Roman to once again deflate as he shot a dirty look at the adviser.

While these two bickered Thomas had stood and was making his way over to his men, a kind smile on his face as he noticed the dark robed figure “Hello, I’m Thomas, what’s your name?”.

Virgil blinked and ducked his head uneasily, he didn’t like how this king could inspire such positive emotions with barely a few words spoken to him. “Virgil” he murmured as he tucked himself away in his cloak.

“Don’t mind him, he’s a bit shy” Roman said with a smirk and a roll of his eyes as he threw his arm over the brooding man’s shoulders. Thomas nodded in understanding and stood back far enough to give Virgil his space.

“It’s very nice to meet you Virgil, I take it you’ll be staying here for at least the night?” Thomas asked and, before Virgil could deny the suggestion, Roman jumped in with a positive answer.

“Why absolutely, I feel just dreadful that I was the one who almost trampled him!” Roman exclaimed as he threw his head back dramatically, his arm over his face to hide his supposed shame “So to make up for it there will be a feast tonight in honor of his stay!”.

“Really that’s very unnecessary” Virgil tried to speak up as Roman and Patton spoke excitedly about the feast they planned to throw.

“You will not be able to convince them otherwise so it will be wise for you to, as they say, save your breath” Logan informed him as he came to stand beside the stranger, adjusting his glasses as he watched his companions “Once they are like this, nothing can derail them short of a natural disaster”.

Virgil sighed in defeat as he watched the two men drag Thomas into their planning session “I hate when people make a fuss, it was my fault for passing out in the woods to begin with; I should have just stopped for rest at that cave I passed when I had felt my exhaustion getting to me”.

“I do not believe in such a thing as fate but had you done so then we would not have come across you, perhaps the universe has other plans for us” Logan mused.

Virgil eyed him then turned his eyes to the men before him. Fate huh? Great, usually when fate got involved things tended to blow up. With a sigh and a shake of his head he glanced at Logan again “Let’s hope for all our sakes that you’re wrong”.

Logan glanced back at him, studying him intently then hummed thoughtfully.

Eventually the three men who were plotting that nights festivities broke away, Patton to begin making the food, Thomas to have the staff prepare the dining hall, and Roman to find their new friend something a little more appropriate and clean to wear. Before Virgil knew it he was being swept away by the overly dramatic knight to unknown parts of the castle. Logan vanished off to his rooms before Roman could snatch him away to do dastardly things to his wardrobe.

“Alright my gloomily dressed friend, it is time to prepare you for tonight!” Roman exclaimed as he herded Virgil through the halls in such a frenzied manner that Virgil couldn’t memorize the twists and turns of the halls in order to find his way back to the front doors if needed.  
“I can just wear what I’m wearing now!” He protested, causing Roman to tut in admonishment.

“You are the guest of honor! No guest of honor should look like the grim reaper” Roman dismissed as he finally made it to his room and ushered Virgil inside.

Virgil stumbled through the doorway and watched the door close, a feeling of dread entering him as he watched Roman bustle over to what was apparently a walk in closet.

“Now, were should we start” Roman mused as he browsed through his extensive wardrobe.

“I’m pretty sure nothing you have will fit me” Virgil called out as he sat on a chair in the corner.

“Nonsense! Just because you are very skinny and only slightly taller does not mean I do not have what is needed to make you look fabulous!” Roman proclaimed, dismissing things left and right.

“I’m pretty sure that is exactly what it means” Virgil countered.

Roman ignored Virgil’s reasoning and aha’d when he found just what he wanted. He came back out with his arms full and eyed the other over critically “Hmm… you need to have a bath before we dress you, I’ll have a servant ready the bath”.

Roman set the clothes on the bed and headed for the door, ignoring Virgil’s protests as he poked his head out the door and called for one of the servants that wandered the castle. A quick discussion with them later, they left to prepare the bath.

“Really Roman, I don’t need any of this” Virgil argued as the man came back into the room “I’m fine as I am”.

“And I disagree, besides I need a bath myself before supper tonight” He sniffed as he looked at his reflection and fussed with his hair “Now, remove that dreadful cloak so we can see if this will fit you”.

Virgil clung to his cloak, shrinking down into it as if that would keep the other man from trying to remove it.

Roman tutted and went over to Virgil, trying to wrangle the cloak off him “Come on Sir Spooks-a-lot, stop being so difficult”.

Virgil ended up losing the fight and Roman yanked the cloak off him. Virgil wrapped his arms around himself as if that would some how hide him from the outside world. Roman stood there proudly, holding the cloak up in triumph “See? That wasn’t so hard, there’s no need to be self conscious”.

“Can I have my cloak back?” Virgil grumbled with a baleful look.

“Absolutely not, now stand up so I can measure you” Roman said as he carried the cloak away.

Virgil groaned in annoyance and reluctantly stood, still holding his arms crossed over his chest. Roman came back and tutted “Really now, must you be so difficult, drop your arms”.

“How about you jump out the window first?” Virgil snipped, growing more and more uncomfortable.

“There is no need for that kind of talk” Roman sniffed, picking up the clothing he had grabbed and moving over to Virgil “Come now, is it really so bad?”.

“Yes” Virgil bit out, glaring as his head lowered further into his shoulders.

“You look like a turtle” Roman told him flatly as he held up the robe he had found in the back of his closet “I think this should fit you just fine, I never wore it because it is too dark for my taste but it should look just fine on you”.

“Gee thanks” Virgil huffed, his eye twitching as he refused to drop his arms. He would never admit that he kind of liked the dark purple the robe was made of.

“Ugh come on, we don’t have all night” Roman said in disgust as he laid the robe over his shoulder and proceeded to wrestle Virgil’s arms apart.

Despite his best efforts, Roman had more muscle than Virgil did so it was a losing battle. Once Virgil’s arms were down Roman held up the robe to the taller man and hummed “Perfect, I have just the sash to go with this too, and the sleeves are long enough you can hide your hands in them if you wish that way no one an see you fidgeting”.

Virgil sighed and resigned himself to be Roman’s dressing dummy.

A few minutes later the servant returned to announce the bath was ready and Roman thanked them happily. “Alright, let’s go get clean!” the knight said eagerly as he dragged Virgil from the room and down the hall to where the bath waited for them.

Virgil flushed as Roman dragged him inside the room. The bath was more of a pool, a large expanse of water that they could swim in if they wished. The room had a fragrance to it, obviously oils had been added to the water.

“Alright, undress” Roman told him as he started taking his clothes off.

“W-What?!” Virgil exclaimed, his flush growing brighter as he clutched his clothes closer to his body.

“Well, you can’t exactly bathe while clothed now can you?” Roman told him as he stood there, his upper body bare and his muscles on display.

Virgil felt like dying of mortification, he wanted his cloak back “B-but but that would mean being… naked! Together!”.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never bathed in another’s presence before” Roman scoffed as he piled the clothes in baskets that sat against the wall “Everyone has!”.

“Not me!” Virgil exclaimed in denial as he backed away from the shirtless knight.

“Awe, there is no need to be shy” Roman cooed in amusement “I am sure you can’t look all that bad under those clothes of yours even if you are rather skinny”.

“That’s it, I’m leaving!” Virgil claimed as he turned to leave. Roman sighed and grabbed the man before he could get far causing him to squawk in alarm and flail his limbs.

“If you will not cooperate I shall be forced to take drastic measures” Roman claimed as he carried Virgil to the edge of the pool.  
“Roman no!” Virgil cried out as he continued to kick and flail.

Once by the pool, Roman opened his arms and dumped Virgil into the pool with a big splash.

Virgil broke the surface of the water and flailed his way to the edge, hanging on for dear life.

Roman laughed and finished undressing. He did a cannon ball into the pool, causing a wave of water to wash over Virgil. The man coughed and wiped at his face, trying to blink the water out of his eyes.

Roman broke the surface of the water, still laughing as he swam up to Virgil “Come on, take your clothes off and get clean”.

“Screw you!” Virgil snapped, not in the mood for the other’s mockery as he continued to cling to the edge of the pool.

Roman sighed and swam away, doing the back stroke to the middle of the pool “Fine, bathe in your clothes”.

Virgil grumbled and stayed huddled in his corner, he would absolutely not removed a single piece of clothing while another person was in the same room as him.

“Would it make you feel better if I didn’t look?” Roman finally asked “You really do need a bath”.

Virgil was quiet for a very long time, almost long enough for Roman to think the other was ignoring him. Finally Virgil said a soft “Fine”.

Grinning in triumph, Roman turned away from the other man and allowed him some privacy.

Once he was sure Roman wouldn’t turn around, Virgil stripped out of his sopping wet clothes. Once he was naked he lowered himself completely so that only the top half of his face was above the water.

Once Roman heard no more movement he assumed that Virgil had done as asked. Satisfied, he focused on becoming clean once more.  
Since Roman stayed turned away, Virgil decided to go ahead and bathe like the other wanted him to. Soon both men were clean. Roman left the pool first, taking up a towel and drying himself off. Virgil stared away from the naked man.

“Alright, I’ll leave the room to let you dry off in privacy” Roman told him as he walked to the door. Once the knight was gone, Vigil left the pool and grabbed himself a towel. He dried quickly and picked up the clothes Roman had brought for him to wear. He really didn’t have much choice, it was either this or his sopping wet garments that he came here in.

He grumbled as he settled in the robe. It actually wasn’t so bad, it fit surprisingly well and was very soft; it was made of some expensive material. Once he was dressed and had the ends of the sleeves gripped in his hands, he left the room. Roman stood outside waiting for him and smiled when he saw his new gloomy friend, he actually cleaned up quite nice. 

“Excellent, now that you are as fresh as a daisy and are dressed fit to roam this castle… hmm we should find something to do until the feast begins… perhaps a tour?” Roman offered as he gestured down the hall.

Virgil sighed tiredly and eyed Roman “I’d rather sleep till then quite honestly, this has been a rather harrowing experience”.

“Ah of course, you were passed out in the middle of the woods, you must be exhausted” Roman said, lightly smacking his forehead “I will show you where you will sleep tonight, if you sleep till the feast starts I shall come fetch you so that we may dine”.

Virgil followed Roman to where he could finally get some rest. The room was just as nice as Roman’s, almost too nice. It made Virgil anxious and again he wished for his cloak. 

“Pleasant dreams fair dark and stormy night” Roman told him as he left the room. Virgil just stood there for long moment before finally moving and climbing into the plush bed. It was softer than anything he had ever felt in his entire life. He groaned softly and snuggled under the warm blanket. Surprisingly, despite his nerves, it took little time for him to fall asleep; his body was more exhausted than he thought.


	3. New Home?

“You know Patton, I have a good feeling about Virgil being here” Roman said as he leaned against the counter in the kitchen, watching his friend bustle about preparing supper for that night.

“Oh yeah? That’s great kiddo, I’m glad you feel that way” Patton said with a smile as he briefly glanced Roman’s way before turning his attention back to the food.

“Do you think if we asked him to stay he would? We could always find him something to do in the castle” Roman said thoughtfully as he toyed with an apple that sat within reach.

“I don’t know kiddo, he seemed reluctant to even stay one night, you can’t force someone to do something they don’t want to do or live somewhere they don’t want to live” Patton said as he shuffled closer to Roman “But if we showed him a good time tonight he might be more reluctant to leave in the morning”.

“Then that is what we shall do! We will give him the grandest time he has ever had in his life then he will be unable to refuse our offer to live here!” Roman exclaimed with a pose “He will be given the warmest welcome of all time!”.

Logan chose that moment to walk through the door. He spotted his two acquaintances chatting happily. The talking stopped as soon as they saw him though, Patton giving him a warm welcome and a smile. “My intuition was informing me that the two of you would be plotting in here which inhibited my studies so I came to put a stop to whatever scheme you were, as they say, cooking up” the logical man told the two of them.

“OHHH cooking up? Logan you old dog, that’s a good one” Patton laughed as he waved his cooking spoon around.

Logan groaned and rubbed his face “For the last time Patton, I will never intentionally make a pun”.

Roman laughed at Logan’s expense “Come now book worm, no need to bring the mood down, we were simply discussing ways of getting Virgil to feel so at home that he won’t want to leave”.

“Really Roman, surely you realize that your reasoning is folly, one night will not be enough to cause Virgil enough doubt about leaving to make him stay” Logan said as he adjusted his glasses.

“Hm… unfortunately the nerd master is right, it would take more than one night to make Virgil want to stay” Roman sighed in disappointment at the prospect of Virgil leaving and never coming back, he had only known the man a few hours but he really wanted him to stay.

“Well… why don’t we convince him to at least stay the week” Patton suggested “He seems like he needs the rest and some decent meals, we could spend tonight convincing him to stay the week to recuperate and then we use the week to show him how great life is here”.

“Padre, you are a genius!” Roman proclaimed, slamming his fist down onto his palm “I shall compile a list of all the reasons someone would wish to live at the castle and I shall sneakily introduce Virgil to each and every one! By the end of the week he will be so enamored with this place he will never want to leave! Then we shall have our ghoulish friend to add to our little band of merry companions! It’s fool proof!”.

“I very highly doubt this plan is “fool proof”, especially if it is headed by the likes of you Roman” Logan said derisively “You barely know anything about this man yet you already wish to move him into the castle, really Roman. I know common sense usually goes over your head but even you can’t possibly be this incompetent”.

“HAH! I will show you captain doubts-a-lot” Roman huffed as he pushed himself away from the counter “I shall return to my room now and prepare that list; I will have so many ideas by the time supper arrives that the list will be 10 fathoms long!”. With a purpose to his stride he left the kitchen to do as he claimed, he will not allow Logan to make him look the fool.

“Really Logan, let Roman have his fun” Patton said as he waved his spoon “I haven’t seen him this excited since Thomas sent him on that trip to the mountains”.

“You should not get his hopes up Patton, it is a very real possibility that Virgil will not remain here. He could leave first thing in the morning and none of us would be any the wiser” Logan told him as he moved closer to the counter “it is better to be honest with him than to allow him this foolish dream”.

“Now Logan, I am surprised at you” Patton huffed as he crossed his arms, his patent disapproving look on his face “You know how Roman feels about dreams and hopes, if we were to crush them he would never forgive us. He really wants Virgil to stay Logan and if you were passionate about something you know that Roman would support you 100% of the way. I think Virgil would be a fine addition to the castle, what ever his talents may be”.

“I can already tell this is going to end badly” Logan sighed “but I suppose I have no choice but to support Roman’s futile endeavors, very well then”.

As the day slowly turned to evening the castle was bustling busily to prepare the last few touches to the party that would be held that night. Roman scratched enthusiastically away at his parchment, his ideas flowing like freshly falling rain. Patton scuttled about his kitchen, giving the last few food items the finishing touch. Logan was locked away in his room, still brooding about his friends foolish endeavors. 

Virgil still slept soundly, unawares of the plotting that permeated the castle. Thomas was seeing to last minute business so that way his evening would be free to spend with his friends.

A knock sounded at Virgil’s door, drawing the man from his slumber. He groaned as another knock came moments later. “I’m up I’m up!” He called in annoyance as he slowly sat up and removed himself from the bed. He walked over to the door as he rubbed his eyes, taking hold of the handle and pulling it open. He glared sleepily out at the servant that stood before him.

“Good evening sir, I have been informed by Sir Roman that I was to assist you in preparing for tonight’s festivities” The servant explained. 

Virgil grunted “Go tell Sir Roman that he can stuff his help were the sun don’t shine, I can get ready by myself thank you very much”.

“Sir Roman insisted I make sure that you didn’t stay in your room and actually came down to the feast” the servant persisted.

Virgil scoffed and closed the door “I’ll be out in a minute”.

The servant blinked and stared at the door, standing there and waiting for Virgil to finish preparing.

A few minutes later Virgil opened the door and stepped out, gesturing for the man to lead the way.

The two of them wound their way through the halls at a more sedated pace than Roman’s frenzied movements from earlier. Virgil was actually able to memorize their route this time so that way he could find his way around later when he would need to leave before night fall; after all what kind of meal lasted several hours?

The servant led the way into the dining hall. Virgil had to stop a moment to take in the grandly decorated room. It was much too extravagant for his taste and frankly far more than needed for a simple meal; but then again he was in THE castle so he supposed this must be par for the course. Once Roman spotted Virgil, he made his way quickly to the tall dark man.

“AH our guest of the hour! Magnificent!” Roman proclaimed as he laid his arm over Virgil’s shoulders and led him over to the group that was waiting for him to join them “We shall have a grand time tonight! The likes of which you have never experienced before!”.

“Really captain extra, this is very unnecessary” Virgil told him, reluctantly allowing Roman to steer him about.

“Rubbish! I absolutely insist! Only the finest for our guest!” Roman decreed as they stopped in front of the other three men “We wish for you to feel welcome! What better way than with a grand party! Of course it will only be a party of five since it is such short notice but it will be grand none the less!”.

“Isn’t this a bit much to do for a guy you only just met randomly in the woods?” Virgil grumbled as he tucked his hands into his long sleeves, he just may keep this robe once he left.

“Nonsense kiddo, we want you to feel at home here for how ever long you are staying” Patton said with a smile as he patted Virgil’s shoulder “plus if you do plan on leaving soon we want to have as much fun with you as possible before you go”.

“Don’t worry too much Virgil, it’s not unheard of for us to show hospitality to someone these guys meet on their outings” Thomas said to assure the anxious man. The fact that this wasn’t the first time these guys did this and it won’t be the last did relax Virgil slightly, it assured him that this wasn’t just an isolated incident.

“Perhaps but that was simple hospitality! This is different!” Roman exclaimed with a charming smile “You, Virgil, are special! I can feel it! We were meant to meet on this day!”.

Virgil grimaced at Roman’s less than tactful words, man could this guy be any more extra?

“What Roman means is that out of all of the people we have met, you feel special Virgil” Patton said gently to sooth the tall man’s ruffled feathers “I, for one, am darn glad we got to meet you and I hope we can still be friends even after you leave”.

“You WANT to be friends with me?” Virgil mumbled with a confused frown.

“But of course my fair gloomy companion” Roman said as he led Virgil over to the table where their supper waited “as we have said, we can feel that this was meant to be and we wish to do everything in our power to gain your friendship; that is, if you will allow us to”.

“Huh… usually people run screaming in the opposite direction when they see me” Virgil said as he sat down in the seat presented to him.

“Well the only running and screaming that will be done here is during a nice game of tag” Patton said happily as he sat down in his seat.

“Patton I do not think it wise to “play” after consuming a large meal” Logan told the cook as he adjusted his glasses, the servants serving up the first course.

Patton laughed at the intelligent man’s words, assuming that he was being funny. This simply earned him a look of confusion from Logan.

“So Virgil, what is it that you do?” Thomas asked as they began digging into their food.

“Do? What do you mean?” Virgil asked as he poked his food with his fork, looking at it suspiciously. Even if Patton cooked it, you couldn’t be too careful, someone could have poisoned it when it was out of sight.

“He means what kind of job do you do kiddo” Patton said with a smile “What kind of talent do you use to make a living?”.

“um… I don’t really have a job… I travel a lot so when I stop in a town I usually do an odd job or two there to earn some money” Virgil said with an uncomfortable frown, he didn’t really like talking about himself.

“Come now Charlie Frown, surely you must have some talent that you utilize” Roman scoffed after a bite of food.

Virgil shrugged and stared down sullenly at his food, what was it about these guys that made him want to open up to them? This was a recipe for disaster. “Um… well… I can do a little bit of everything I guess… magic is really handy for that kind of thing” he mumbled as he again poked at his food.

Silence fell over the table and Virgil peeked warily around at the men who stared at him.

“You can use magic?” Patton said in awe.

“You are a mage!” Roman exclaimed, excitement beginning to lighten up his face.

“People with the ability to use magic are quite rare” Logan mused as he studied Virgil critically.

Thomas smiled at Virgil and said “Well I have to say, that is quite the talent; if you like you could have a place here at the castle? We could always use a mage around here, there hasn’t been a court mage for some time”.

“I… you WANT me to stay?” He asked with a suspicious look “things tend to happen when I stick around a place for too long, bad things; it’s usually in the best interest of everyone if I don’t linger”.

“NONSENSE!” Roman proclaimed with a pose “you would fit in well here! Plus if anything bad were to try to happen I would be there to put a stop to it!”.

“Really guys, I don’t think you want me hanging around” Virgil tried to reason with them “It’s just a really bad idea”.

“How about this kiddo, you stick around a week and if nothing bad happens you stay a little longer?” Patton said with a reassuring smile “you can be here as long or as short as you like but we won’t force you to if it really makes you that uncomfortable”.

Virgil was silent for a very long moment as his head tried to wrap around the fact that despite his warnings these men still wanted him to stay. They either had little care for their own well being or they just truly did not care about Virgil’s ability to cause disasters where ever he tried to lay down roots.

Finally Virgil spoke “Okay fine, I will stick around… BUT at the first sign that things are going south, I’m out of here; I don’t want to be responsible for your castle burning down or a plague infesting everything”.

“I think that is a fair compromise” Thomas nodded in agreement and with a smile he said “Welcome to the family Virgil”.

“I highly doubt your presence will cause such a dramatic disaster to befall our abode” Logan said with a roll of his eyes “Bad luck is simply a concept created by the superstitious to explain a series of unfortunate events”.

“Logan, now is not the time for your drivel knowledge, it is a time to CELEBRATE!” Roman proclaimed grandly as he raised his goblet “A toast to our new magical companion!”.

The others raised their goblets, Logan much more reluctant than his friends. Virgil watched all of this quietly, astounded by what Thomas had said ‘Welcome to the family Virgil’. Perhaps… perhaps he didn’t have anything to fear this time? Maybe… just maybe… he had finally found a home? Only time would tell.


	4. Sleepless Knights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleep seems to be elusive tonight for two very specific people though for two very different reasons.
> 
> Warning: there will be graphic content in this chapter. Another warning will be set right before the scene. Caution, do not read if easily squeamish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration for Virgil in this chapter comes from this image  
> http://www.tradecardsonline.com/img/cards/YuGiOh/dream_cards/big/PurpleEyesUltimateDragon.88184.20080826-033446.jpg

“Dang it dang it dang it” Virgil cursed/chanted as he ran through the halls. The party had ran later than he had anticipated and now he only had an hour till nightfall. He had to find somewhere far enough away from the castle for his “little problem” and he had to do it fast. If it wouldn’t have looked suspicious and raised alarm he would have taken one of the palace horses, but seeing as he was stuck on foot he had to run.

Unfortunately for him, he was not good at running.

“Ugh stupid knight, refusing to let me leave the stupid dinner” He grumbled “Stupid cook using stupid puppy eyes, stupid advisor using stupid logic”. He didn’t have anything to say about the king so he left him out of his ranting.

Fortunately for him, he managed to find the front door after many turns and dead ends. Also fortunately for him there wasn’t a guard in sight, he didn’t need someone seeing him running around like a lunatic and getting the wrong idea. 

He made it through the gate and out into the woods that wound around the castle wall. Now if he could just find a cave or something to hide in till sunrise then he would be golden.

He huffed and puffed hard as he ran, trying to breath and run at the same time was NOT an easy task for someone like him. He felt kind of light headed actually, he was pretty sure that was a bad sign.

Just as the last rays of sun were winking out of existence he came across what seemed like a fairly cavernous opening. He dove for it just as darkness started to blanket the sky.

As he passed through the opening and into the pitch blackness beyond he felt as if his entire body was set on fire. 

~WARNING: beyond this point is graphic content, skip to next bulletin if squeamish~

He rolled and tumbled over the ground as his muscles seized up. His skin rippled almost violently, as if something was moving just below the surface. When he came to a stop his body curled in on itself, as if that would be able to ward away the immense pain that coursed through him. A snapping sound could be heard echoing through the cavern and as if that were the signal, Virgil let out a blood curdling scream that only someone in true agony could produce.

His whole body shifted and started to expand. His limbs contorted, bending to fit a shape they were not naturally meant to. More snapping was heard as they finally fit into their new form. 

His face lengthened and the shape of his head shifted, becoming narrower and his teeth growing to become dagger like. His neck stretched further than it was supposed to until it equaled the length of the rest of his body. Every inch of skin became dotted with beads of red and as if a switch had been flipped, scales shot out and covered every inch of his body; the brief breaking of skin caused blood to splatter the surrounding walls. 

His nails slowly became claws that were as sharp as his new fangs, fin like spines grew from his head down his neck and spine, long sharp horns pushed their way out of the top of his skull in long wicked curves.

For a moment he was allowed a reprieve from the torture that was his transformation. He knew it wasn’t over yet though, there was still one last part of the shift to happen before he could finally relax for the night. As if reading his thoughts, his body rippled again. 

From the end of his tail bone grew a long thick tail, spines growing along the new appendage. Two large bat like wings grew from his back in one last shot to finish off his nightmarish transformation, they too splashing the walls with a shower of crimson.

He let loose another roar of pain, the sound one hundred times louder as it shook his surroundings; it was truly the roar of a monstrous beast.

~END of graphic content~

He panted as he laid there for a long moment, his body slack as his muscles trembled with after shocks. Once he was certain the transformation was finally done he blinked his eyes open. The whites of his eyes had been swallowed by the violet iris and his pupil had become a vertical slit. He blinked again, his duel eyelids opening and closing with the motion.

He groaned as he slowly pushed himself onto his new feet. He shook his body, ridding himself of the last of the effects of the change. His wings expanded, filling the rest of the cavern not taken up with his new massive size as he stretched them. With a huff that let out a puff of smoke, he folded them back down and shuffled over to a corner of the cavern. He laid himself there so he might wait out the rest of the night, his thoughts distracted for once by recent events with a certain group of people.

Meanwhile as Virgil handled his unfortunate circumstances, the rest of the castle was settling in for the night. One person in particular, a certain eccentric knight, was too eager to lay himself to sleep just yet. He was feeling very accomplished, having done what was thought impossible; his new mage friend had agreed to stay with them.

Sure he seemed reluctant and was very vehement about leaving at the first sign of trouble, but Roman was confident in his abilities to put a stop to any wrong doings before it could affect his family both old and new. With a sigh at his inability to stop his minds cumbersome wandering wiles, he decided a nice walk was in order to settle him.

He allowed his feet to lead while his mind continued its path of unhelpful pondering. It was up to them to make sure Virgil felt safe enough to give up his claim of luck most foul, only then would the mage finally lay down more permanent roots. 

“But he will be continuing to expect things to end in disaster… how to make him see reason?” He mused out loud, it always helped his thought process “He will stop only when proven wrong I’m sure… perhaps a charm of good fortune? Hmm maybe but he is a mage… he could have just made himself one at any time if things were that simple…”.

During his brain storming his feet had led him to the one place that centered around his thoughts. He stood right outside Virgil’s bedroom, his eyes staring long and hard at the elegant door. “Perhaps” He murmured softly “Hmm yes perhaps… if our mage friend became a hero… he would no longer think himself an ill omen… but… he would believe himself to have caused the incident to begin with… ugh why must you be so tricky to appease, oh master of gloom”.

His hand rested upon the golden handle of the door, he felt the urge to check if the mage that resided within was still there. “Mmm no… a breach of privacy on one’s first night in their new home is no way to gain one’s favor” He murmured as he slowly withdrew his hand “I swear to you Virgil, man of magic and dire thought, on my honor as the head of the king’s guard and the hero of the people that I shall find some way to set your wary mind at ease; so I swear it so mote it be”.

With that vow spoken, Roman felt his mind finally gain a little tranquility; perhaps enough to fall asleep even. Leaving the door unopened and the contents within still a mystery, he turned to make the return trip to his room. 

Fortunately for Virgil, the mage’s disappearance would remain undiscovered this night… but how long could he go before someone entered the room without his permission on a whim?

Night slowly drew to a close and the inky sky was slowly bled through with colors of the dawn. Virgil could feel the sunrise close at hand and with another huff of smoke he pushed himself once more onto his feet. 

As soon as the first ray peeked over the edge of the earth he could feel his body once again changing, all the additions slowly receding into him as he shrank down to his normal height. Fortunately the reverse of the curse was less painful, still hurt like nothing else but it couldn’t compare to when the night falls.

Once the process ended he used his magic to clean up any sign that something had taken place in this cave, no need to give anyone ideas about what transpired after all. Maybe he should try to convince the others that he didn’t need to live in the castle, he could build himself a house out here or something. It would be such a pain having to hurry out here every night if one of the others decided he needed to stay longer than necessary, this way he had the excuse of travel time to get out of there with enough time to settle in for the change.

“Hm… or I could maybe set up a portal or something” he mumbled as he finished his inspection “My room probably has a walk in closet like Roman’s, I could just turn that into a doorway”. He would have to hold onto the thought for another day, it would take time to set such a thing up and he didn’t have everything he would need at that moment to do so. 

For now he would have to content himself with trying to weasel his way out of group gatherings early just to make it to the cave in time. It might look suspicious but he could claim exhaustion or something as an excuse. Patton wouldn’t be too hard to sway since he seemed concerned about everyone’s health and Logan just didn’t seem to care period. Thomas also wouldn’t be any trouble either since he was similar to Patton in a lot of ways though he did seem less… fatherly about it. The problem was Roman, the knight just couldn’t seem to take no for an answer.

Virgil yawned tiredly and rubbed his eyes, he would have to come up with something later, for now he needed to get back to the castle before someone went snooping and realized he wasn’t in bed. With that thought in mind he began the long trek back, the urgent need to hurry no longer dogging his steps.


	5. Let The Meddling Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you don't hide your feelings well enough from your family, they begin to plot.

A week has passed since the day Virgil was convinced to stay at the castle. Roman, Patton, and Thomas were over the moon with happiness. Logan was his usual self, though even he seemed to slowly be warming up to Virgil’s presence.

Virgil on the other hand was waiting for the moment he would have to pack up and run, the peace was setting his paranoia on high alert and it made sleep near impossible for him. This was a bad thing because he was getting no sleep at night due to his transformations, so Virgil was pretty much running on fumes as the week drew to a close.

Unbeknownst to Virgil, the people who claimed him as their friend began to notice this little predicament. Patton fussed over Virgil’s health, making sure he ate more and got plenty of fresh air. Thomas did what he could to make their surroundings less stressful for the worked up mage. Logan shared tea and quiet time in the library with Virgil when the other was too stressed to be around people.

Roman was the most try hard of the bunch, doing everything possible to make sure nothing upset Virgil to the point it caused him to believe himself disaster incarnate, showing Virgil all of the best hiding spots for when someone who wanted to not be found could be alone, helping the mage to redecorate his room in a way that was more appeasing to the darker man’s tastes, teaching him how to play soothing songs on an instrument of Virgil’s choosing.

Despite their best efforts, Virgil still gained little to no sleep. He wouldn’t allow his guard to drop long enough, constant vigilance was his only hope of keeping everyone safe and unharmed. Plus it took everything he had to keep his little secret out of the grips of prying friends who picked up on certain things like a spot of blood he missed that got on his clothes or if they caught him on his way out of the castle before nightfall or coming inside first thing in the morning when the sun has barely risen.

He hated lying to them but it was in everyone’s best interest if the dragon stayed in the bag.

“We have got to get Virgil to get some sleep” Patton said one evening to three of his friends, Virgil was off having quiet time out in the garden in a little secluded corner Roman had shown him.

“What do you suggest we do Patton, aside from locking him in his room there isn’t much we can do” Roman sighed in disappointment.

“Strangely enough I agree with Roman, we have no power over someone who does not want to do something” Logan said as he shifted his glasses “Short of hitting him over the head with a hard object there is no way to force his body to sleep if it does not want to and I do believe that hitting him would have adverse effects on the little trust we have gained with him”.

“Couldn’t Virgil make himself a potion or something? He is a mage, he should be able to make something to put him to sleep for a few hours” Thomas said with a worried frown.

“Are you kidding? He’s paranoid enough now as it is, asking him to drink something to force him to sleep would just have him think we are conspiring to kill him or something” Roman scoffed, annoyed that they seemed to be failing to help Virgil.

“Maybe we should just talk to him?” Patton suggested “Find out why he can’t get to sleep and why he’s so worried, maybe if we could manage to put his fears to rest he could get some rest of his own”.

“Well… that does seem to be our only option” Thomas mused “Should we do it as a group? Or maybe each talk to him one at a time?”.

“I believe one at a time would be best, doing so as a group could make him feel trapped and interrogated” Logan said “We stretch our talks with him over the course of several days if the first talk is not successful, that way he doesn’t become agitated by our questioning and perhaps if given enough time to think about it he will finally be willing to work with us on whatever problem hinders him”.

“So, who should he talk to first?” Roman asked “It has to be someone he would be most comfortable with, to cause the least amount of agitation and hostility toward being asked about his inner demons”.

“Maybe Thomas?” Patton suggested “Virgil seems to feel at ease around him more than the rest of us, maybe Thomas could use that while he eases Virgil into questions about what is bothering him”.

“If it’ll help, I’ll be glad to talk to him” Thomas said with a small smile, he hated when his friends were troubled.

“Then we are agreed, Thomas will attempt to speak with Virgil first; if he fails to find a solution to Virgil’s inhibitions then we shall send in Patton next since he seems to take to Patton’s paternal attention” Logan said as he continued to plan “Should Patton fail I will go next and utilize my logic to ease his worries. Finally should that fail, Roman will use his… eccentric and unique ways to hopefully work the answer from our tightly wound companion”.

“Why must I go last?” Roman said with an affronted tone.

“Because your brash attitude does not allow for subtlety, this is a matter that requires as much tact as possible” Logan told the knight “When all else fails then we shall use that brashness, perhaps you will be able to make him agitated enough to spill his problems without thought of guarding his secrets if the subtle approach fails to work”.

Roman didn’t know if he should feel insulted or not, Logan was about as tactful with his words as a raging bull in a room full of fragile pottery yet didn’t seem to realize it; in fact he is fairly sure the adviser was more likely to send Virgil into a flying rage than Roman was. 

Deciding it was futile to argue the point with the man who prided himself on logic, Roman simply chose to walk away and instead focus his time on practicing what he would say to Virgil; despite what Logan thought Roman did know how to be mindful of what he said, if he was prideful about one thing it was his way with words both written and spoken. 

Many did not know this but Roman was a poet at heart, were he not a knight he was sure he would have been a bard or an actor.

Once they all went their separate ways, Thomas decided that now would be as good a time as any to search out Virgil for their little talk.

It took some hunting but he managed to find him out in the garden.

At the center of the garden sat a bench underneath an ancient willow tree. Virgil was laying on this bench with a book. To the world Virgil would seem at ease, but Thomas could see the tension and exhaustion in the other’s face and body. Virgil looked up from his book as he heard Thomas making his way over to the bench.

Virgil pushed himself up into a sitting position and closed the book “Did you need something your majesty?”.

“Virgil, I’ve told you, call me Thomas” the king chuckled good-naturedly “Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?”.

“Ah sure, it’s your garden” the mage shrugged and scooted over, Thomas sitting beside him once there was room.

“So what are you reading?” Thomas asked curiously as he glanced down at the book.

“Eh, just a little something I had tucked away with what little I was carrying” Virgil said as he fidgeted with the book “It’s a journal my teacher passed on to me after I finished my apprenticeship”.

“Oh? Wow, it must be full of really neat magical stuff” Thomas said with a smile “I’ve been meaning to ask, is there anything you need? Like ingredients or a room to preform that kind of stuff in? Just let me know and I can get you anything you need”.

“Oh ah you don’t have to, really, I don’t need much” Virgil said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Now Virgil, don’t hesitate to ask me for things, if you are going to be the court mage then it’s my duty to make sure you have absolutely everything you could need to do your job” Thomas told him gently “Really, it’s no bother, in fact I think the room the last mage used is still set up for that kind of work; it probably needs a bit of dusting though”.

“Ah thanks… Thomas” Virgil said with a small smile, Thomas could see a little of the tension leave him but a lot still remained.

“You don’t need to thank me Virgil, I want to make sure you feel at home” Thomas told him firmly, wanting to make sure his point was made “you may have only been here a week but we already consider you family, just know that if you ever need anything at all you just need to tell us; family helps each other when they need it no matter what because no problem is too big that we can’t solve together”.

“I… okay Thomas” Virgil said softly, an indecisive look on his face “Thanks… for everything”.

Thomas could see a little more tension slip away and he smiled, patting Virgil lightly on the shoulder “I guess I’ll leave you to your reading then”. The king stood and started walking away from the bench.

“Hey Thomas” Virgil called after him. Thomas stopped and glanced back at the mage. He looked indecisive about something but then sighed and waved him off “Never mind… thanks for the talk”.

Thomas nodded then turned and kept walking. Later on when he talked with the others he recounted everything that had happened.

“It seemed like I had gotten somewhere towards the end, it was like he wanted to say something but he just managed to hold himself back” Thomas explained “I think he wants to talk, he just needs the courage to do so; maybe if we keep reminding him he doesn’t have to suffer in silence he will gain the courage to open up to us”.

“I guess it’s my turn next” Patton said, humming thoughtfully “maybe if I talk to him at breakfast? He always seems the most out of it first thing in the morning, perhaps he’ll let something slip over a big plate of banana pancakes”.

Roman and Thomas chuckled at Patton’s pun and Logan sighed in exasperation, walking away with a shake of his head.


	6. Can Dad Make A Difference?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Patton to have a crack at the immovable wall that is Virgil, will he succeed?

Virgil cursed as he stumbled tiredly through the hall. Last night had been a particularly disastrous and nasty night. At the rate he was going without getting any sleep, he was going to end up being in as bad a shape has he had been when he had passed out in the woods where Roman, Patton, and Logan had found him.

He somehow managed to fumble his way to the kitchen, his eyes practically glued shut. If he didn’t get caffeine soon, the first person who opened their big mouth might die. 

As the door opened, the smell of pancakes and coffee hit his nose. His stomach rumbled almost as loudly as his dragon form, making a light blush dust his pale cheeks.

He shuffled his way over to the table and almost missed his seat as he dropped down into a boneless lump. Just as he was contemplating using the table to catch a few zzz, a steaming mug of coffee was placed in front of him. He groaned in appreciation as he wrapped his hands around the warm mug, inhaling the rich scent of the exotic brew.

“Sounds like you had a rough night kiddo” Patton said as he set a plate of pancakes in front of the sleepy mage.

Virgil just grunted in response as he downed half the mug, enjoying the warm tingling sensation as the coffee drained down his throat to settle in a warm ball in his stomach. As the caffeine began to work a bit of magic of its own, he picked up his fork and took a bite of the fluffy banana pancakes; he let out another groan of appreciation as the flavor danced over his tongue.

Patton smiled in amusement as he sat down with his own stack of steaming flapjacks.

Once Virgil had his current mug and half of his second drank he was awake enough to notice it was just him and Patton “Where are the others?”.

“They all had breakfast early. Roman wanted to get in some extra training, Logan is doing some extra studying, and Thomas had some business he had to deal with; so it’s just you and me today kiddo” Patton explained after he swallowed a bite of pancake.

“Huh… weirdly enough I’ve gotten kinda used to having them around” Virgil said with a frown as he poked at his food.

“Well things like this tend to happen a lot so you’ll have time to get used to it” Patton said, patting the other man’s wrist.

Virgil hummed, taking another bite “So, what do you usually do when left alone?”.

“Me? Well… I do a little baking, I tidy up the kitchen, I make sure the others have their meals ready for them when they’re done with their business” Patton recounted thoughtfully.

“Don’t you have any hobbies?” Virgil asked, squinting his eyes at the cook.

“Well sure I do, I do those too but I still have to do my job; I make sure the important stuff gets done first before focusing on that kind of thing, plus I love to bake so that kind of is a hobby” Patton assured, chuckling softly.

“Hmm…. Do you want any help?” Virgil asked after a moment of contemplative silence, looking at Patton curiously.

“Well sure buddy! I would love to have you help me around here!” Patton said happily, maybe if he could get Virgil into a good enough mood then the mage might open up to him about his troubles.

The two of them finished their breakfast with a little chatter, or Patton talked while Virgil listened and hummed along. When their plates were empty and bellies were full, Patton carried the dishes to the sink.

“If you want kiddo, you can start getting these dishes washed up while I start getting the ingredients ready for a batch of cookies” Patton told him as he filled the wash basin with hot water.

Once Patton was off to make his cookies, Virgil took his place and started scrubbing the mountain of dishes that sat beside the sink “Do you wash this many dishes every day?”.

“No silly, this is a relatively light load today” Patton chuckled as he pulled out everything he would need to make his famous chocolate chocolate chip cookies.

“Light!?” Virgil exclaimed incredulously, eyeing the mountain of dishes with a dubious stare.

“Well yeah, everyone was in such a rush this morning they didn’t eat nearly as much as they normally do” Patton said, a little unhappy that his friends weren’t able to eat their fill “plus with how sporadic meal time was this morning, I managed to get some of them washed before you came in”.

“Still… light?” Virgil grumbled in disbelief, tentatively taking a plate and giving it a hard scrub.

“Once I get these in the oven I’ll take over the dishes and you can scrub the counters for me” Patton offered the mage, getting a noncommittal grunt in response.

The two of them worked in relative peace, Patton humming to himself as he rolled up little balls of dough and popped them onto a baking sheet. He soon had several trays of cookies tucked away in the oven and he relieved Virgil of his post at the sink.

“So kiddo” Patton began after some time of them working “Do you plan on having a nap later? You really do look like you need to catch some sleep, if you keep letting it get away it will run you into the ground”.

Virgil didn’t notice the play on words as he said “Mmm I don’t know, I doubt I’ll be able to”.

“Well why not? Is something keeping you from falling asleep buddy?” Patton asked, looking at the other in concern “talking about what bothers me always helps; when you talk about something, it makes it seem less bad than what you think it is”.

Virgil was quiet a long moment then sighed softly “I’m just stressing, it makes it hard to sleep but I’m used to it so don’t worry. Eventually I will either get it under control or crash for a few dozen hours, either way I’ll be fine”.

“Kiddo, that isn’t healthy” Patton said in worry as he put the last plate away, walking over to Virgil “letting it eat you up like that isn’t good, you’re hurting yourself keeping it bottled up”.

“I can’t exactly go sharing it with you guys” Virgil huffed as he leaned against the counter.

“Well why not?” Patton asked as he stood beside the other “That’s what we are here for, to help each other when we feel bad; sharing our sadness and worries with our family makes us stronger”.

“It’s something you guys can’t help with, I don’t want to put something on your shoulders knowing that there isn’t anything you can do about it” Virgil told him as he looked away off into a corner.

“Virgil, even if there isn’t anything we can physically do, we can still be there for you and support you with all the love we can give” Patton told him “You may not think it but that sure helps a lot, knowing that there are people standing in your corner willing to do anything to help and care for you”.

“Patton, it’s taking me a lot to say this” Virgil began after taking a deep breath “I haven’t had a lot of people in my life that I care deeply about, in fact I can count them all on my fingers and still have fingers to spare. But in the week that I’ve been here… you guys have some how, against my better judgement, wormed your way to the top of that list. 

I know you don’t like seeing me like this, that you feel you have to help me in some way or another. I care way too much to let you. I won’t let you guys be wrapped up in my problems which could very likely get you all killed. I’m sorry to disappoint you Patton, but that’s just the way it’s gotta be”.

Patton was silent for a long moment as he processed Virgil’s words. Without warning he pulled the mage into a tight hug. Virgil tensed at the unexpected display but soon relaxed, patting Patton’s back.

“I don’t like the fact that you think you gotta do this alone kiddo… but I understand” Patton told him, pulling back just enough to look Virgil in the face “Just know that if and when you are ready to let us help, we will jump head first right into the fray. I’ll fight anyone and anything trying to keep my dark strange son down”.

“Patton, you aren’t my dad” Virgil sighed with a rueful smile.

“Well you’re allowed to have your opinion, now lets get finished with cleaning up so we can get started on lunch” Patton said as he patted Virgil’s cheek.


	7. Family Mishaps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil starts to finally settle in when a certain knight gets a little too careless.

Virgil used to have the worlds greatest poker face. He could bluff his way out of the worst situations, people used to believe anything he said. How was it that two people he cared about a lot, two of the four people he wanted to hide something from, were reading him like an open book?

“Guess I’ll have to try harder before someone else ends up trying to bury their nose into business they shouldn’t” he muttered as he made his way through the halls after spending some time with Patton. Lunch had come and gone, Thomas was still busy with whatever it was he was working on but Roman and Logan had shown up. Roman ate quickly and was off again. Logan had his nose shoved in a book the entire time.

He had helped Patton clean up then had left the man to his own devices. Lately, Virgil had been slacking off on his own job but now it was time for him to get back to work. He went to the room Thomas had told him about and used the key he had been given. Entering the room, he coughed as a cloud of dust was kicked up.

He waved his hand through the air and banished the dust away. Once he was able to get a good look he whistled at the size, he could keep a lot of books in these shelves. It actually reminded him of the palace library in a way.

He walked about and looked over the things that had been left behind. Nothing too out of the ordinary, some non-magical ingredients, a couple non-magical instruments. There wasn’t much left to work with but it was a start, he would find a way to make it work. He would have to get in contact with the merchant who some how always had some magical item or another on hand, how the skeevy little man got his hands on them he really didn’t want to know.

For now he would make due with the few items he carried. Thankfully Roman had eventually given him back his cloak so he had access to them again.

He summoned said cloak and dug them out of the pocket dimensions that were woven into the fabric. He filled a small shelf with them and sighed softly, hopefully it wouldn’t take long to procure a few other things. He used a piece of paper to write down what he would need from the merchant, as he did so his mind started to wander. He knew he shouldn’t be settling in, he had to be ready to go when things inevitably went wrong… but… he was starting to feel like he was over thinking things, perhaps this time he could finally stop running…

He shook his head and sighed, it was complacent thoughts like these that eventually led to him being caught unaware. Disaster could be waiting around the corner and his new family would pay the price. Why could he never learn from his mistakes? He growled softly and swatted the paper to the side, rubbing his face with a tired sigh “I really need to get some sleep or I’m going to drive myself up the wall”.

Maybe things would be okay for a couple hours while he caught a nap? He could always set up a spell to warn him if something bad happened. With a resolve that he rarely had, he set a spell to inform him if anything happened to his new friends then he found himself a big fluffy arm chair to curl up in.

Things were quiet for a long time after that, each person busy with work or catching up on lost sleep. 

Virgil was startled awake as his alarm spell was suddenly blaring loudly in his ear; he ended up rolling off his chair into a heap on the floor. He shot up from where he fell and scrabbled from the room, shooting down the halls as fast as his long legs would take him. While he ran he checked which person the spell was attached to. 

He felt his heart nearly stop when he saw that it was for Roman, what could possibly have happened to the man who prided himself on his fighting skill? He hissed and doubled his speed, using another spell to lead him to the man in question. He ended up bursting back into the kitchen where he found Roman with Patton fussing around him and Logan examining the knights arm.

All three looked up at the mage’s hurried entrance. 

“What happened?” Virgil snapped as he scurried over.

“Relax sir worries-a-lot, I just had an accident” Roman said then hissed as Logan poked his injury “Would you stop that!”.

“I am merely trying to assess your condition, please do stop squirming” Logan stated as he kept a hold of the very squirmy captain.

“What. Happened.” Virgil gritted out as he nudged Logan out of the way so he could see for himself the state Roman was in.

“My sword slipped is all” Roman scoffed “I was trying a new move, this isn’t the first time it’s happened”.

“What have I told you about trying new moves with no one around to help you, young man” Patton scolded.

“Patton you aren’t my dad, stop trying to lecture me- OW Would you quite poking it!” Roman snapped with a scowl as he tried to pull his arm away. 

“You need medical attention you moron now hold still!” Virgil snapped back as he kept a surprisingly strong grip of the knights arm. He took out a small jar from his pocket and used some of the salve inside it on where Roman had stabbed himself. 

“Patton can you find me some bandages to wrap this with?” Virgil asked and Patton was off like a shot to fetch what was asked for.

“Ugh what is that foul stuff, it smells like a dung heap” Roman exclaimed in disgust, wrinkling his nose in horror at the smell.

“It’s a healing salve to keep this from getting infected, you’re lucky you didn’t cut your arm completely off” Virgil huffed “You’ll just have to live with the smell till this is healed”. 

Roman pouted at hearing that as Patton came back with the bandages, the knight didn’t want to go around smelling like the back end of a cow. With nimble movements Virgil had the wounded area bandaged in no time.

“No more doing stupid things for a while” Virgil told him as he tucked all the medical equipment away “I know it will be hard for you but if you want that to heal as quickly as possible then you’ll listen to me”.

“I do not do stupid things” Roman sniffed indignantly “The things I do are grand and wonderful!”.

“Just don’t be you for about a week and you’ll be good” Virgil grumbled with a sigh and a shake of his head. Roman just stuck his tongue out at the mage indignantly, there was nothing wrong with being him; Virgil would be lucky to be like him.

“Thanks for helping out kiddo” Patton said with a smile “Me and Logan are always patching up Roman when he does something… Roman, but our knowledge of patching people up mostly comes from Logan’s books and my experience helping raise my siblings”.

“Hey, it’s my job isn’t it?” Virgil mumbled in embarrassment, ducking his head as his cheeks burned at the praise.

“Patton is indeed correct, you are a valuable asset, I apologize for my behavior towards you when we first met” Logan replied as he shifted his glasses “I am sure you understand my wariness towards finding a stranger in the middle of the woods but I now no longer think of you that way”.

“Ah… thanks Logan” Virgil said, his embarrassment at the praise and acceptance growing.

“Group hug!” Patton cheered as he started yanking people close.

“Patton no wait-“ Logan began only to be silenced as his body collided with three others.

“Watch the arm-!” Roman exclaimed, turning so his hurt arm was aimed outward away from the collision.

“Don’thugme,I’mscared” Virgil rambled, tensing up at the unexpected hug as he somehow ended up in the middle.


	8. Big Brains Go Bust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan thinks logic is the perfect tool to solve all of Virgil's problems. There is just one detail Logan is forgetting.

After the little mishap with Roman, Virgil needed some quiet time. What better place to have quiet time than in the library with Logan? The mage sat with the adviser, books in hand and cups of hot tea sitting on the their respective tables. 

Logan was currently engrossed in a book on economical development and Virgil had a book on herbal remedies, something he has already read but figured he should brush up on again in case Roman decided to pull another Roman any time soon.

As he was reading, Virgil’s mind went back to earlier “Hey Logan… you remember what you said… about being wrong about me?”.

“Must we bring up my past follies? I have already admitted to the incorrect information and have endeavored to correct it” Logan sighed as he tried to halt the direction he thought the conversation would go in.

“That’s not what I’m getting at” Virgil said, closing his book and frowning down at the cover “What if you weren’t wrong? I’ve said it before, everywhere I go, disaster follows… What if whatever it is hasn’t happened yet because it’s going to be something big?”.

“I believe Patton, Thomas, and Roman have already tried correcting your thought process on the matter many times and I have already stated my opinion on superstitious beliefs but I suppose I shall try again to sway your thoughts in a more positive direction” Logan said as he closed his book and laid it down next to his tea.

Virgil looked intently at the man who prided himself on his knowledge, wondering just what kind of philosophical know how the bespectacled man would pour from his brain today. 

“No one is born “lucky” or “unlucky”, our experiences with such things are produced through our acts of free will. If something bad happens it is because you lacked the knowledge and forethought to prevent such an outcome, similarly when something good happens it is because you had just the right knowledge to keep you from making the wrong decision” Logan began to lecture, going into teacher mode.

“Simply sitting around anticipating bad things to happen is foolish because it heightens paranoia which then leads to overwhelming amounts of anxiety. When something does inevitably go wrong, your anxiety will make you believe that such an occurrence was your fault and was fated to happen from the beginning. If you remove the paranoia and replace it with facts and knowledge, you will be less inclined to believe that every stubbed toe or broken dish was the result of you simply existing in the same space in which the incident occurred. 

Are you able to follow what I am saying?” Logan asked, finally pausing to give Virgil a chance to assimilate the information bestowed upon him.

Virgil continued to silently stare at the man sitting next to him. When he did speak, there was a bitter edge to his words “I appreciate you trying to explain my crippling anxiety, but don’t, I already know all of that. Besides, not everything can be explained away with big words; sometimes things outside of your control happen… and when it does it hits hard… I’ve seen entire towns struck down by sickness or drought or some other natural disasters… it’s kind of hard to make a place a home when something wipes that place off the map”.

Virgil stood from his seat, setting his book down on the table with a little more force than he should have “Thanks for the tea, I’ve got things I need to be doing…”.

“I did not mean to upset you, I was merely hoping to apply knowledge to your situation so that it may ease your worries” Logan spoke as he watched Virgil head for the door “allowing your worries to control how you live your life will make it so there is no life for you to live”.

“Yeah, I kind of got that from your lecture” Virgil snipped as he tugged his sleeves over his hands “Just go soak your head before it gets too big to fit through the door teach”.

The doors closed behind Virgil before Logan could speak another word. The book smart man sighed in resignation, that had not gone how he had hypothesized it would. While Virgil was off having a well deserved sulk, Logan had gone to find Roman; unfortunately the knight was the only one left to have yet engaged Virgil about his plights. 

At least the adviser had gained some insight, it seemed every time Virgil had tried to settle down a disaster had struck making it impossible for the mage. It struck him as odd how well timed those disasters seemed to take place. Logan shook the thought from his head, it seemed the paranoia was spreading.

It didn’t take long to find Roman, the knight was as predictable as he was wreakless. Logan quickly explained what had transpired in the library.

“I had a feeling your lack of empathy would cause chaos instead of peace” Roman sniffed as he folded his arms and relaxed back in his seat, an air of smugness radiating from him in waves.

“I’m sure you did” Logan responded dryly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at Roman’s haughty attitude “Well since you are indeed Mr. Know-it-all, then I assume you have a better way of obtaining more substantial information from Virgil”.

“Watch the master at work, tomorrow I will have every drop of information our dear little mage has hidden away in that dark noggin of his” Roman chuckled, his egoism shining brightly in that moment.

Now that those three had their shots at curing their depressive friend, Roman would be the hero to fix everything. It would be so sneaky and manipulative that Virgil wouldn’t know what hit him till long after Roman dug every nugget of knowledge from his magical little melon.

Logan decided to just leave Roman to his imagined plot, returning to the library for more important matters, gaining knowledge for knowledge sake.

Virgil dropped into his bed, pressing his face into the large feathery pillow. He released a scream of frustration so loud and so hard that he could feel the strain on his vocal cords. Three of the people he cared a lot about were trying to dig into matters they didn’t understand.

Sure it didn’t help that he wouldn’t tell them but telling them would be counterproductive to why he wasn’t telling them to begin with.

He groaned miserably as he cursed his loose tongue, Logan had managed to drag something from him. Knowing the adviser, he would go babbling to the others about knowledge he had gained that they had not. And knowing them he would never hear the end of their irksome meddling. 

He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, sighing heavily as the weight of his problems seem to sit even heavier on his already burdened shoulders. He wondered what Roman would try to do, it seemed like they were taking turns so he was pretty sure Roman would be trying next to weasel something from him.

Maybe he could do something to get them off his back for a while? Tell some kind of sob story or find some kind of nerve to hit. It would have to be something really awkward no one would want to touch with a fifty foot pole, the only problem was that most of his dilemmas were just that. It was hard to figure out the right thing to say that wouldn’t directly lead to what he was really hiding. It would also have to coincide with the information he had let slip to Logan.

He grunted in annoyance as his brain began to throb defiantly. Screw thinking, he was taking a nap and forgetting this whole incident and if anyone dared wake him up he would turn into his dragon form and eat them, secrets be damned. With that thought in mind, he made himself a little blanket cocoon and burrowed deep within. He cast an alarm to let him know when the sun was beginning to set so he had plenty of time to head out for the night. With a final curse thrown at this whole mess, he let go of his worries and drifted off into the land of dreams.


	9. No Rhyming Roman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman is sad.   
> Virgil is annoyed.   
> Not a good combination...   
> Or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about not posting for so long. Life is a royal bitch. I can't promise regular updates but i can promise eventual updates. I like this story too much to give up on it.

Three. Days.

Virgil had been left alone for three days.

No attempts at trying to get his story from him.

No overbearing mothering.

No sneaky attempts to root around in his room to find whatever kind of secrets that Virgil may be hiding.

He was so sure those four were taking turns trying to dig up his painfully guarded secrets... So where was Roman's grand attempt at being the "heroic" knight in annoying armour?

It was all causing Virgil to become one big nervous wreak. He just wanted it done and over with, like ripping off a particularly sticky bandage on a festering painful wound.

But no, everyone had gone back to their normal routine.

Logan was locked away in his library. Patton was locked away in his kitchen. Thomas was locked away in some meeting or another. And Roman... well he actually wasn't sure what the knight was up to, he hasn't seen hide nor hair of him since Logan's spectacular failure.

"Hmmm, to pester or not to pester, that is the question" Virgil mused as he trailed through the halls of the castle, he was starting to get good at finding his way around this place.....

That was a bad sign.

As he rounded a corner, the missing knight and the plotting mage colliding into one another.

Roman reached out to steady Virgi, keeping him from falling over. "Ah, my apologies, I did not see you there" the captain said, giving the mage a strained smile.

"I'm fine, are you alright though? That look on your face is the same as the look you had when you stabbed yourself... you haven't stabbed yourself again have you?" Virgil asked in exasperation, earning a small laugh from the knight.

"Of course not my good mage, that moment was but a fluke; I do not normally stab myself on my own beautiful blade" Roman assured him, his smiling easing into something a little more genuine "Say, it has been some time since we last ventured into the garden together, fancy a stroll?".

"Hm, sure but just so you know I already know what you guys are up to so any attempts at weasiling information from me is going to end up with me turning all of your clothes black" Virgil informed him as the two of them began following the path that led to the garden.

"Do not worry dear master gloom, I have no wish to pluck the poisonous apples from the garden that is your sorry tale" Roman assured him as they entered the garden. He stroked a few flower buds as they passed.

"Oh yeah? Weren't you one of the first to jump on the "Lets heal Virgil's past" wagon?" Virgil asked dryly, using a little magic to help some dying buds return to life.

Roman chuckled at Virgil's words and led the way over to a bench, one of many in the maze like garden "Perhaps but after hearing your anger and pain I have decided it is best to leave sleeping bats alone, everyone has secrets and to expect you to reveal yours while hiding our own away is unfair to you".

"You have secrets?" Virgil snorted in amusement, the thought of any of these guys having any kind of secret like Virgil's amused him greatly.

"We do indeed. Patton wasn't always the peppy happy pappy who loves to fiddle away in the kitchen and King of the nerds wasn't always the out going people person he is today" Roman explained as he thought back to a time where Patton and Logan were so different from how they are now, you would barely recognise them.

The easy smile he had been wearing slowly slipped from his face, a far off look entering his hazel eyes, the shine of the golden color in them dimming as his thoughts became darker "As for myself.... every hero's tale begins with heartbreak and humility....".

Virgil watched the expression on his companions face change, he didn't like how desolate the look in Roman's eyes was becoming.

"What? You weren't always a knight in shining armour? Was there a princess you were chasing after who wouldn't give you the time of day?" He tried to joke to get the look to go away.

Roman chuckled dryly at Virgil's attempt to shake the knight out of the funk he had fallen into "A prince actually and no, that isn't exactly what happened.... if you are willing to lend a sympathetic ear then I am willing to play the part of bard".

"If you start rhyming I'm going to leave you here to cry by yourself" Virgil warned as he stretched out and made himself comfortable.

 Roman scoffed at the mage's words "There is a time to rhyme but now is not so, I am a masterful story teller after all and as such I must know what type of technique to use to maximize the effect of my tale".

"Are you going to get on with it or are you just going to keep bragging about your ability to amuse people?" Virgil asked dryly, nudging Roman's ankle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter, I decided to cut it short and begin the next chapter with Roman's story.


	10. Not all fairy tales end in happily ever after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yer all probably gonna hate me after this XD  
> Warning: death, blood, sad Roman and evil Remus so not for the squeamish

Sunlight blanketed the glen below with a gentle warmth. Trees swayed as a soft breeze rocked their limbs and the perfume of flowers caressed the senses, lulling the single occupant of the glen into a tranquil daze. The pond some feet away shimmered like a large gem set into the earth’s crown.

The sound of hooves pounding against the ground returned the person from the trail their thoughts had taken and he raised from his seat below the large oak tree. He felt his heartbeat quicken with anticipation and excitement, watching as the other’s silhouette grew the closer they came. The man who sat astride the stallion slowly brought the horse to a halt. The one who had been waiting walked over to greet the new arrival. 

“I do hope you realize you are late” He spoke with a teasing tone as he took the reigns from the other as he dismounted.

“And I do hope you realize it is not easy to shake off my personal guard” the other sniffed back making his companion scoff.

“As if it is a challenge for you to send them on a wild chase across all the realms” he spoke as he led the horse to rest beside his own. The other just snickered and moved quietly up behind this amazing man, moving to wrap his arms around the other’s waist.

“Now now Roman, do not be too hard on my father’s men, they do try their hardest; they are just simply no match for my quick wit” he said as the other man leaned back into his hold.

“You always were a cunning little fox” Roman smirked as he turned his head to glance into the face of the man who had captured his heart, amused sapphires twinkling at him like the summer sun shining on the vast sea.

“Careful, your flattery shall stroke my ego to infinite proportions” he teased as Roman turned in his hold so that the two stood face to face.

“Dear me, we can’t have that now can we” Roman chuckled as he raised a hand up to toy with a lock of hair that the wind had blown out of place, smoothing it back into the glittering nest of gold that framed his love’s perfect features.

His comment was met by a mock offended gasp and his wrist was caught in a gentle grasp that he could have easily broken if he had wanted to, his hand brought to soft lips that kissed his finger tips.

“You had best watch your silver tongue, love” he spoke softly as he released his hold on the wrist and moved his hand to intertwine their fingers.

Roman’s gaze was captivated by how the other’s eyes seemed to shift into something more heated, it made a shiver of delight zip up his spine.

“Why must I watch something that your eyes already seem to have themselves fixated upon?” Roman said lowly as his own eyes turned a molten gold.

No more words needed to be spoken as the prince with hair the likes of which sunshine envied leaned in to kiss his beloved, an action full of love and desire so pure that the gods themselves would have bestowed upon them their blessing.

As day slowly slipped into night, the two lovers sat watching the sun set and the sky be painted with colors so vibrant that they resonated with the soul.

“Roman” the prince finally spoke, his quiet voice nearly being covered by the crickets that chirped happily around them.

Roman turned his head so that their eyes may meet, silently showing that he was listening.

“I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes upon you and knew that without you, my soul would remain incomplete” He continued to speak, his arms holding the other so close that their hearts may as well have beat as one.

Roman watched as a sadness seemed to blanket those shimmering eyes, turning them a dull color that he never wanted to see again.

“You know that my position will not allow our union, if my father were to find out about this he would order your death without hesitation” further and further the prince’s gaze seemed to darken, the only thing that kept him from slipping beyond the brink was Roman’s touch “And that is why I wish to make a request of you”.

Roman dreaded where this conversation was leading but he listened, he would always listen to his prince.

“I see no other way for us to truly be together, to truly be happy… Roman, will you run away with me?” his love pleaded, looked into his eyes with so much desperation and longing that Roman almost agreed immediately.

“But… what about your family? And your kingdom?” Roman spoke with slight panic, his hands gripping the others with a little more force than need be “I can not ask you to tear yourself away from your life”.

“That is why I am asking you, I know that you would never dream to ask me such a thing, your heart is too full of kindness and love to ever think of asking me to leave everything behind…” He released one of Roman’s hands and raised it to cup one of the other’s cheeks “but none of that is more important to me than you, I would give up everything if it meant we could be together; I know I am asking much of you, after all you have your own family and life… but I must ask it for my heart is yours and shall never belong to another… I will give you time to think, my love. Tomorrow night I shall be waiting here, give me your answer then”.

Roman’s heart was in turmoil. He wanted nothing more than to say yes, to flee with this man and to live their lives as carefree as the birds that whistled their sweet melodies above them. But could he really do such a thing? To rob the kingdom of their beloved prince? To rob his family of their blessed son? What if his prince later regretted doing such a thing? The longer he sat there, the more greatly his heart ached with indecision “I… I shall think, my love and I shall give my answer then”.

The prince smiled so sweetly that Roman felt as if he had failed him by being so hesitant. They shared a soft kiss before parting ways. Two men of two different places in society shared one heart, a heart so fragile that the smallest thorn could cause it to shatter.

~ye old scene breakage~

Time passed all too quickly yet all too slowly for Roman. He wanted nothing more than to see his love but he still had no answer to give him. He was so consumed by his inner turmoil that his brother noticed something off with Roman.

“Tell me brother mine” Remus mused as he popped up behind Roman and laid his arm over his twin’s shoulder “What troubles bounce around in that head of yours?”.

“What troubles do you speak of? I am perfectly fine” Roman sniffed as he tried to duck away from the other’s arm. Remus, a man of persistence that relished his brother’s frustration, stuck to Roman’s side like a tick to a stray dog.

“Now now Roman, you are an open book to me, I simply wish to lend a sympathetic ear” Remus tsked and reached up to pet Roman’s hair only to have his hand slapped away by his twin.

“More like you wish to know my weakness so you may exploit them” Roman huffed as he finally managed to pull away.

“Oh please, as if I need you to divulge your secrets for me to wreak havoc upon you” Remus sniffed, pretending to inspect his nails “I just figured my dear baby brother would appreciate a bit of advice… after all, it must not be easy having a rather princely fellow wishing to spirit you away, you must be absolutely DYING inside”.

Roman felt as if his heart had frozen and his blood had drained from him in rivers. His brother’s words echoed in his ears with a sickly poison that invaded every pore. 

“How did you know about that?” He whispered, unable to raise his voice any louder for fear of others hearing their conversation.

“Sweet naive baby brother” Remus tsked, giving Roman a condescending smile “I have my ways… but really, you are about as sneaky as a bull rampaging through the streets”.

“What are you trying to gain from this Remus?” Roman asked, a little more volume raising his words to a more audible level.

“Why nothing at all, I simply wish to congratulate you” Remus shrugged, flicking off a piece of imaginary lint from his sleeve “Since this is the last time we shall see each other, I thought we could part ways amicably”.

“Who said this would be the last we would see each other? What makes you think I will agree to this plan?” Roman asked with a frown.

“Don’t tell me you were planning to reject the prince?” Remus said with a surprised gasp, placing his hand against his chest; a mischievous glint entered his eye “But dear brother, I thought you loved him?”.

“Of course I love him, that is why I hesitate to accept” Roman snapped, bristling “He wishes to give up everything so the two of us may be together”.

“I don’t see what the problem is, if he is so eager to give up his place as prince to live the life of a peasant with his one true love then who are you to stop him?” Remus mused as he rested his chin in one of his hands and his elbow in the other “surely you denying him this would hurt him much more than leaving behind his family and his right to the throne”.

Roman flinched away from his brother’s words, his warring thoughts from earlier returning full force as his brother nailed home just how big of a decision he was making; he was deciding how the two of them would live the rest of their lives.

“You make things far more complicated than they must be brother mine” Remus sighed in annoyance “just go”.

“Why are you trying to help me?” Roman asked as he eyed his brother suspiciously.

“Oh little Roman you wound me” Remus said as he laid his arm across his face dramatically while his hand clutched his shirt. After a moment he dropped his arms into a crossed position over his chest and he huffed “really now, despite what you think of me, we are still brothers and brothers do on occasion help one another”.

“Perhaps other brothers but not the two of us” Roman argued, he couldn’t believe Remus was trying to help him out of the ‘goodness’ of his heart.

“Look do you want to stay here and watch the love of your life be forced to marry some princess while you are forced to be his secret mistress or do you want to run off to some far off land and have him all to yourself” Remus growled, getting fed up with his brother’s defensiveness and indecision.

Roman went quiet as Remus words hit his heart in a way he didn’t like. The image popped into his head of his love being forced into a marriage he did not want just so he could produce an heir to the throne. Another image followed it of the two of them, living in a little cottage together hidden away in a grove of trees. He didn’t like that his brother could cause such images to form into his head but it helped him decide what he needed to do.

“I’ll go” He said, feeling the weight of his indecision leave him.

“Finally” Remus muttered in annoyance “welp have fun living the married life little brother, don’t bother writing”.

Roman didn’t reply, buried too deeply into his thoughts as he left to pack what he would need to take. Unknown to him a twisted little smirk had formed on his brother’s face.

In no time at all dark was falling and Roman was riding his way to the glen to meet the prince. He could see the other’s horse there and he sped up as he felt his heart nearly burst with anticipation.

**((warning if you dismissed the first one in the note: do not read beyond this point if you can't handle gross imagery))**

Too eager to wait for the horse to come to a stop he hopped off, stumbling but managing to keep his feet. He ran the rest of the way, his blood pounding in his ears and his heart in his throat. He could feel every inch of his body shaking with the need to pull the prince into a tight embrace and never let him go.

He slowed down as he neared the large oak that they had spent much time under. He could see a leg sticking out from the other side and a small smile tugged at his lips as he pictured his prince leaning back against the tree, his gaze aimed up at the moonlight that managed to shine through the canopy of leaves. He slowly walked up to the tree and circled round to the prince’s side.

His sappy little smile quickly crumbled away along with every happy little emotion that had flooded his body since that afternoon. A cold feeling crept through him as his eyes took in the massive dark stain that completely covered the prince’s front, its point of origin was the slit across the man’s neck. 

His head was tilted back against the tree, his mouth slightly parted as he tried to take breaths that wouldn’t come and only managed to make garbled little choking sounds while a trail of blood dripped down his chin. His eyes that had once been such a mesmerizing shade of blue were a dull gray in the moonlight, hazed over with pain and the inevitable death that would soon come.

Roman’s legs gave out and he fell to his knees beside the prince, a choked sob lodging itself into his throat as he reached out with a trembling hand. The man who held his heart, a heart which now was crumbling to dust, let out a weak cough that did no more good than not coughing had.

“M-my love” Roman gasped out as he tried to figure out how to help, what he could do. His hands shook as they shifted back and forth, uncertain where to lay. The prince’s eyes slowly shifted to look up at Roman and his lips moved as if to speak, only releasing an airy wheeze.

“S-Shh don’t… don’t speak” Roman hiccuped as he rested his hand against the other’s cheek “You need to save your e-energy so I can find help”.

Slowly, the prince’s lips moved, as if to tell the man hovering above him that he loved him. 

A sob shook Roman as he watched those stained lips, it was hard to tell in the dark but they were beginning to turn blue from the lack of oxygen “Don’t… D-don’t leave me… we were… we were going to travel far away, live together the way we wanted to with no one else dictating our actions… you promised damn you!”.

The prince’s eyes were slowly falling closed as his lips moved again, telling Roman that everything would be okay. Roman let out a panicked gasp, shaking him a little to keep him awake “Stay with me, you have to stay awake, d-don’t you dare fall asleep!”. Roman peppered light urgent kisses around the Prince’s face, kissing his lips hard in the hopes to elicit a reaction. Those perfect lips remained unmoving and Roman sobbed, letting his heart break be heard by anyone close by as he clung to the prince’s body as it slowly cooled.

He was so lost in his grief that he didn’t hear the footsteps that were coming his way. “Oh my dear little brother, you do seem to be in quite the predicament” Remus mused as he rounded the tree.

Roman looked up at Remus, tears streaming down his cheeks and blood that wasn’t his own smudged across his lower lip “brother! Please! Help me!”.

“Help? With what? Burying his corpse?” Remus sniffed “You know, when I told you to run away with the prince I didn’t think you’d kill him”.

“Ki- What? B-But Remus I didn’t I… I couldn’t!” Roman gasped, another sob choking him as he clung tighter to the prince.

“That’s not what I heard~” Remus mused, sick amusement in his tone “you know, if you don’t want to be executed for the death of the prince, I suggest riding far away right now”.

“Wh- executed?! What are you talking about Remus! I didn’t kill him!” Roman said desperately, nearly in hysterics. 

“Mmm someone saw the two of you and ran off to warn everyone, there’s a big man hunt out right now coming for you” Remus told Roman, relishing in the stricken look that had chiseled its way into his brother’s already wretched features.

“This w-wasn’t supposed to happen” Roman sobbed “Why? WHY!”.

“That’s just the way life works baby brother… though if you don’t hurry and leave then there will be two bodies to bury instead of one” Remus said darkly.

“I- I can’t just leave him” Roman protested, by this point he had lost all feeling in his fingers from clutching the prince so hard.

“So, what? You want to die because you were too stupid to leave when you had the chance? Do you think he wants you dying over this? Especially with the title of being his murderer to sully your name for years to come?” Remus asked in annoyance.

Roman looked between his brother and the corpse in his arms, his grief making it hard to think. He released another sob and placed one more kiss against the prince’s now cold skin before he slowly let go and stood. He then spun around and ran past his brother, slinging himself up onto his horse and urged it to race in the direction opposite the kingdom.

Remus watched his younger brother disappear into the distance, a twisted grin slowly stretching his lips as he glanced back at where the prince laid. He hummed and withdrew his hand from behind his back, revealing a long jagged dagger that was still slick with dark blood. 

A low chuckle left Remus as he brought the dagger up and licked a droplet of blood from the tip. He hummed happily as he walked over to the prince and dropped the dagger onto his lap “Sorry pretty boy, I have plans for my dear little brother and they don’t involve a happily ever after with you”. 


	11. Patton's a what now?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So ends Roman's tale of woe. What will Virgil's next move be?

“I rode day and night after that incident, I did not stop to eat or sleep… all I could seem to do was continue crying until my tears ran dry” Roman said softly as he clasped his hands in his lap and stared down at them “it came to a point where I just allowed the horse to guide us, I was barely coherent… eventually my body gave out. From what I’ve been told, my horse crossed paths with Thomas’s. 

I was brought to the castle when he realized my state, I had fallen ill so I was nursed back to health. After that Thomas listened to my tale of woe and allowed me a place here. Of course I had to work my way up to the position I have now, it took me five years of hard work and dedication but I managed to show my worth; I vowed to never let the second chance Thomas has bestowed upon me to go to waste”.

Virgil was quiet for a long moment after Roman was done speaking, gazing off into the distance as he absorbed every word spoken. Finally he turned to look at Roman and he huffed “you know, you are a lot more conniving than you let on, I bet you told me that story just so I would tell you about my own”.

Roman rolled his eyes at Virgil’s blunt statement “First of all, rude. Secondly, for someone who is supposed to be all powerful and magical you seem to lack any foresight. I simply told you my tale so you would know that no matter what bad may come our way we will get through it together and that not all bad things happen simply because you are breathing in our general area. If you ever do wish to relieve yourself of your burden you will know that there are those here who will lend a sympathetic ear. I shall not pry because I wish for you to come to trust us enough to speak unprompted”.

Roman stood and took a deep breath then turned to the mage who still sat hunched on the bench, you could practically see the waves of discomfort radiating from him “I believe I shall walk a little longer before returning to my duty, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day as well Virgil, thank you for joining me”.

As Roman turned to walk away, Virgil’s head shot up and he called out to the knight “Roman wait!”.

Roman paused and turned to cast a curious glance at the darkly clad man. Virgil fidgeted under the sudden attention and he looked anywhere but at Roman “I… I’m sorry about the way I acted… I shouldn’t have given you such a hard time after you shared something like that with me… and I’m sorry about what happened, no one deserves to go through that, especially not you”.

A small smile touched Roman’s lips “that’s very kind of you to say, I accept your apologies and thank you for your thought”. After that Roman turned and walked away, a feeling of accomplishment making his heartache hurt a little less.

Virgil watched the captain’s back as he disappeared around a corner and was swallowed up by the foliage of the garden. He let out a groan and flopped back against the bench, his head making a hollow thumping sound against the intricately carved wood. He watched the clouds as they floated by, letting his mind contemplate his conversation with Roman. 

He never would have guessed that just by looking at him that Roman was dealing with such a deep scar, a scar he was certain was still fresh and painful. If what Roman said was true then Patton and Logan both also had similar tales of tainted pasts. He took a deep breath and pushed himself up from the bench… should he ask them about theirs?

A frown pulled heavily at his face and he allowed his feet to lead him back into the castle. Without realizing it, they led him all the way to the kitchen. He stood there for a moment and stared hard at the solid wood that separated him from Patton. He took a deep breath then slowly released it as he opened the door and poked his head inside. Just as he had expected, Patton was bustling about getting things ready for that nights meal.

“Hey Pat? Can we talk” Virgil said softly as he entered further.

Patton turned to him and smiled as he wiped his hands on his apron “Sure kiddo, What’s up?”.

Virgil shuffled over to the table that sat in the middle of the room “I talked with Roman for a bit… he told me an… interesting tale”.

“Oh? Well he was always an imaginative one” Patton chuckled as he walked over to the table.

“This… wasn’t a fairy tale…” he said lowly, tilting his head so his hood hid his eyes.

Patton’s smile slipped a little at the other’s tone “Oh? What kind of story was it then pal?”.

“He told me of how he came to live here” Virgil said “And he told me that you and Logan would have similar stories… is it true?”.

Patton’s smile completely fell and he cast his gaze off to a spot on the table “jee kiddo… you sure know how to set the mood… yeah Virg… it’s true”.

“Do you… mind if I ask what happened? You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to” Virgil assured him as he tucked his hands in his sleeves.

Patton lifted his head and gave Virgil a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes “No no it’s okay, I don’t mind telling you, I don’t like keeping secrets from my friends anyways”.

Patton gestured for Virgil to follow and slowly the mage followed the cook from the kitchen into a little door that was hidden in the back. The door led into a bedroom that you would never think belonged to Patton, it was so sparse. He let Virgil know to have a seat where he liked before he went into another door to get something. Virgil looked around a bit before sitting down, the emptiness of the room unsettled him.

Patton soon came back out with a small box in his hands. He sat down beside Virgil on the bed and held the box in his lap as he thought of where to begin. Virgil didn’t interrupt Patton’s thought process, patiently waiting for him to pull it all together.

“You know buddy, I had a large family when I was younger” Patton began “lots of brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, so many cousins they wouldn’t all fit in one house”.

Virgil could believe that, Patton was such a family oriented guy that it was strange to think of him as not being in a large family.

“Unfortunately when you have a family as large as mine it’s easy to not notice when one or two of them go missing” Patton said, his tone chillingly flat and Virgil hated every word. “I was six when I was taken from my bed in the middle of the night. I was blindfolded, dressed only in my pajamas. My hands and feet were tied as I was taken to a location I had no knowledge of. I was terrified, I wanted my family, but every time I made a noise they would hit me so after a few attempts I went quiet”.

Virgil was enraged at hearing this, if he ever got his hands on the people who treated Patton this way he would turn them inside out and make them writhe in pain.

Patton’s hand stroked the lid of the box he held, his thumb brushing over the latch “at some point I eventually fell back asleep. The next time I woke up the blindfold and rope was gone. I was in a room bare of everything but a bed. I tried the door and found it locked. I waited and waited for what seemed like hours. Finally someone came and got me. I was scared of being hurt so I went willingly. I was taken to a large room that had many more children around my age. We just stood there and waited, quiet and scared, a few were still crying”.

Patton’s thumb flipped the latch on the box and he slowly opened the lid. His fingers delved inside and wrapped around an object that Virgil couldn’t see. He withdrew his hand and closed the box, setting it to the side.

“After a long time of waiting, a man came into the room. He was tall and intimidating, his eyes were so piercing and such a poisonous yellow. The smile on his face could only be fittingly described as snake like. When he spoke, his words were silky and promised us everything and nothing. He told us that we were chosen, that we would be trained to become the tools he needed to create a better world. We would help him create a world where everyone was happy and equal, where no one would go hungry or be lonely. 

When you’re six, you don’t know that you have to beware poisonously sweet lies, you believe everything you’re told because the thought that you’re being used never crosses your mind. I listened, I took those words to heart despite how afraid I was, I just wanted to make everyone happy. So for a time I was trained, it was hard, there were times when I wanted to give up; but I kept going. I gave it everything I had and before I knew it, I was at the top. I never learned that man’s name but as he watched my progress I became his favorite. 

He eventually took me on as his apprentice, he taught me things that none of the others were taught. By the time I was a full grown adult I had become the very tool he wanted me to be”. As Patton fell silent, he opened his hand to show Virgil what he held. It was a coin, so discreet that if you were to look at it with just a glance you would not notice anything off. A closer look revealed a skull that had a sword penetrating it from the back with the tip poking out of the mouth. A snake was winding itself around both skull and sword, its body weaving through the skulls eyes. The snake’s fangs were bared as if ready to strike.

Virgil stared at the coin, a chill going down his spine as he stared into the eyes of the snake. Something about the symbol itched at his brain, a nagging feeling that told him he should know but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t seem to force the information into the forefront of his mind. 

After a minute or so Patton placed the coin back in the box then rolled up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo on his shoulder of the exact same symbol “On my graduation day, I was given this mark and made to vow my eternal loyalty to the master of the clan. Of all the children who had joined me from my first day… only a handful of them remained. From that point on I began my life as an assassin".


End file.
